The Olympics - and the world’s attention - may have left Beijing, but if you have a lingering taste for some Chinese flavor close to home, check out our comprehensive look at BA’s own Chinatown.

by Hannah Shanks

The Barrio Chino (Chinese neighborhood) of Buenos Aires may be a fraction of the size of the Chinatowns in other major capitals, but it is nonetheless stuffed with enough pork balls, obscure items and lively characters to compete with the biggest of them. Insider Hannah Shanks gets to know this barrio-within-a-barrio.

Welcome to the Barrio:

You won’t find ‘Barrio Chino’ in the Guia-T, since it is actually part of Belgrano. Based around the junction of Arribeños and Juramento, this small collection of streets receives over 15,000 visitors every weekend (according to the Belgrano website), when the grocery stores are packed and the streets are clogged with groups of people munching on pork balls and tempura.

The neighborhood’s roots stretch back to the arrival of Taiwanese immigrants in the 1960s. Casa China was one of the first grocery stores in the area. In the 1990s the influx of Asian immigrants caused the number of restaurants, markets, Chinese bookstores and video stores to multiply. Today, Barrio Chino is an amalgamation of different Asian cultures: Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese. As far as real estate goes, buying an apartment in a new building there – in older ones prices vary greatly – averages about US$1600/m². Monthly rent for an unfurnished 50m² one bed apartment in a new building is around AR$1500-2000/month.

Shopping:

Chefs from throughout the city frequent the markets here for spices – indeed Barrio Chino is the place to find unusual food items and intriguing house wares. Be warned that on weekends the stores are packed with Argentines ferreting for goods, and that on Mondays most restaurants and stores are closed.

For inexpensive crockery, woks of all sizes, rice cookers, vegetable steamers, electric tea kettles, incense, fake flowers and more, visit the second floor of Sogo Supermercado (Arribeños 2257). Prices are reasonable, and the selection is excellent. And if you’re in the market for hog’s bristle tweezers, this is the place to go.

Productos de Soja (Arribeños 2212) sells a variety of fresh buns and sweets, alongside packages of chicken feet and gizzards, and a decent selection of tofu. Homemade soy milk is sold in former water bottles – no sanitary guarantees, but you can’t argue with AR$3 / liter.

Casa China (Arribeños 2173) is a large, attractive store that has an excellent selection of not only Asian products, but Middle Eastern and American delicacies as well. The fresh produce section carries Fuji apples, passion fruit, papaya, mango, ginger root, fresh and dried mushrooms and star fruit on display. Other products that stand out are sushi logs for AR$9 (often heavy on rice and shy on the fish), stacks of ramen noodles, Sapporo beer (imported from the USA), Tabasco sauce, goat’s milk, Newman’s Own salad dressing (expensive at AR$20), pecans, sake, capers, Belgian beers, curry sauces, capers, blueberry juice, tahini, ghee, quinoa, gluten free cookies, pretzels, seaweed…every visit will add something new to your shelves at home.

At Venta de Productos Internacionales (Arribeños 2145) brown sugar (azúcar integral de caña) is piled alongside stacks of seaweed. Display cards advise you, for example, on how to use wakame seaweed for making soup. Other seaweeds sold here are nory (for sushi), kumbu and hiziki. Corn kernels, blocks of miso, enormous bags of wasabi, gluten-free cookie mixes and flour-free cookies are some of the other exotica sold at this store. Peruse the medicine selection to discover, among other herbal remedies, diente de león (lion’s tooth) for rheumatism, or baila bien (dance well!) for sexual health.

A little galería (Arribeños 2155) has two bookstores with Chinese language books, two video stores and an herbalist. The herbalist sells medicinal herbs at Local No. 9, but is only open on weekdays, from 12-7pm. Numerous colorful shops are interspersed among the restaurants and grocery stores, with the standard Chinatown kitsch – giant gold piggy banks, plastic key chains, ornate wall hangings and paper fans. One store is named Feng Shui, though its tall shelves crammed with rainbow-hued goods certainly give the concept a 90º to the east.

Eating:

If you’re short on pesos or time, the stalls are an excellent option. All along Arribeños on weekends and holidays varied street cuisine can be found, from fish tempura to pork balls, and seaweed with rice on a stick, most of it freshly prepared. A stand outside Sogo Supermercado has steamed buns and spring rolls for AR$1-2 apiece; they also sell bubble tea for AR$5 (ask for té rojo con perlas). During the summer, another stand serves heavenly pastries filled with red bean paste for AR$1.50 each; it’s hypnotizing to watch the woman work the pastry machine as she rapidly flips and fills, and then pops the tasty treat into your waiting hand.

If your stomach is not accustomed to rougher street fare, Hsiang Ting Tang at Arribeños 2245 is a more upscale option. This Taiwanese restaurant is well decorated with bamboo screens, dark wood and mood lighting. Meals are about AR$25; the food is good, but not particularly different from other restaurants like Todos Contentos, El Dragón Porteño and more continuing along Arribeños.

Siempre Verde (Arribeños 2127) is vegetarian, and has vegetable “chicken”, lots of tofu options and mushroom “meat”.

BuddhaBA (Arribeños 2288) has mouth-watering pastries, along with teas like ginger and orange and jasmine, for about AR$20 total, while the restaurant portion has more expensive meals and outdoor seating.

Nightlife:

Not the go-to place for a hot night out, but there is the nearby cinema and bowling alley (see ‘In the area’) for post-dinner diversion. Another option is Puerta Uno (Juramento 1667), a secret bar for people in-the-know. No windows or signs betray the bar’s existence, but a forbidding door up a black awning often has a bouncer lurking outside. Inside, however, the atmosphere is relaxed, with an outdoor patio perfect for summer sipping, and low couches and soft lighting inside. The mint-lemon daquiri is a refreshing twist on an old favorite.

Classes, Events & Services:

Flyers are posted around the neighborhood that advertise classes for Tai Chi, Kung-Fu, Feng Shui, Reiki massage, traditional Chinese medicine, Chinese language and bonsai cultivation. Free Feng Shui talks are given every Wednesday at BuddhaBA (Arribeños 2288) by Gustavo Ravaschio, whose impressive CV boasts years of study with other Feng Shui masters. Centro Wudang offers traditional training in Kung-Fu and Tai Chi for advanced practitioners. There is also Tai Chi outdoors at Av. Libertador and Kennedy on weekends, Tuesday and Thursday. Grand Master Chen Quan Zhong (who has more than 30 years’ experience with digitopuntura) gives intensive classes on traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts.

BuddhaBA, a restaurant, tea house, Oriental garden and art galley is also the location for traditional Chinese music concerts; catch the next show on September 16 at 6:30pm (www.buddhaba.com.ar). Bonsai classes are given here on Tuesday afternoons from 3-5 pm, and the free Feng Shui and Reiki classes also happen here. The terrace, reached through the tea house or art gallery, has a peaceful garden filled with lush plants and bonsai.

The Fo Guan Shan Buddhist temple (Olázabal 1645) is one of two in the area (www.ibpsargentina.org.ar). The temple’s permanent location at Crámer 1733 was destroyed in a fire; normally, Pilates, yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong classes are offered there. Vegetarian cooking lessons, flower arranging and Ch’an Meditation are other activities offered by the temple. Ceremonies take place on Sundays. The Chong Kuan Buddhist temple is at Montañeses 2175.

There are at least two acupuncture/Eastern medicine clinics in Barrio Chino. Carlos Lin (Arribeños 2164) offers Chinese massages, acupuncture (without needles) and therapy for neck, back, hips and knees based on ear pressure points (auriculotherapy). Fang, a center that specializes in natural Chinese medicine, also treats patients in the reception area. Don’t be surprised to find the tiny room crowded with patient, practitioner, waiting spouse or friend. Fang offers reflexology, digipoint therapy, auriculotherapy and natural slimming products.

In the area:

Barrancas de Belgrano – adjacent to Barrio Chino, this lovely park contains grassy hillsides (barranca = sharp drop), spreading trees, a gazebo with occasional weekend shows and a fenced-off dog run which is a barking riot at midday.

Carrefour and Showcase Cinema, Arribeños and Monroe – bowling, pool, ping pong and arcades accompany a multiplex and superstore.

Asana, Arribeños 2386 – find affordable styles and artwork by independent designers and artists at this hip design fair (www.asanaferia.com.ar).

Transportation:

Barrancas de Belgrano is a major bus hub, and also contains the Belgrano C train station which places you 15 minutes and AR$0.65 from Retiro.

Plenty more buses can be found on Av. del Libertador or Av. Cabildo close by.

The subte is also an option with Juramento (line D) about 7 blocks away on Cabildo.

Originally published in BA Insider magazie issue 1, GO!, page 11, updated July 28, 2008